


i think i found a place for us.

by yamadad



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Dom/sub Undertones, Domestic Discipline, Hurt/Comfort, Light Angst, M/M, Multi, Non-Sexual Submission, Polyamory, Post-Time Skip, Power Dynamics, Spanking, nekomata is a father figure
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-25
Updated: 2021-02-24
Packaged: 2021-03-17 11:08:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 15,416
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28973361
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/yamadad/pseuds/yamadad
Summary: "I think I found a place for usIt's down by Garden after darkIt's in my arms, it's in my arms."a series of vignettes around bokuakakuroken and the relationship they have.
Relationships: Akaashi Keiji/Bokuto Koutarou, Akaashi Keiji/Bokuto Koutarou/Kozume Kenma/Kuroo Tetsurou, Akaashi Keiji/Kozume Kenma, Bokuto Koutarou/Kozume Kenma, Bokuto Koutarou/Kuroo Tetsurou, Kozume Kenma & Nekomata Yasufumi, Kozume Kenma/Kuroo Tetsurou, Kuroo Tetsurou & Nekomata Yasufumi
Comments: 23
Kudos: 93
Collections: in my arms.





	1. as you do.

**Author's Note:**

  * For [BionicOtaku](https://archiveofourown.org/users/BionicOtaku/gifts).

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _And Kenma was right, honestly, Keiji had nothing to worry about. Why had he even been panicking in the first place? Tetsurou and Koutarou would be perfectly fine._
> 
> or when kenma, akaashi, bokuto, and kuroo go on a camping trip, chaos ensues.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> contains non-sexual spanking/domestic discipline between two consenting adults including use of a belt

“Wow, it’s so much cooler in person than the photos!” Koutarou’s voice echoed, Keiji already lunging out of the car to grab his bicep before he could wander off too far as Tetsurou and Kenma clambered out of the car. 

Tetsurou stretched his legs, arms reaching above him before landing around Kenma’s shoulder with a small smirk. “What do you think, Kenma?” 

He’s met with a shrug, Kenma obviously preferring the sanity of their house and all of his electronics that were forbidden from coming with — that was a battle in itself, Keiji and Kenma having a staredown in the kitchen over Kenma bringing even his  _ cellphone _ . Which, in turn, resulted in Koutarou wanting to bring his own phone to take pictures and Tetsurou was pretty certain he would be missing important phone calls if he left his behind. 

In the end, they decided to leave all their electronics at home. Keiji had his cellphone for emergencies only, their boyfriend leaving it in the glove box of the car as not to have it as a distraction. The point of this trip was to have that break from their hectic work life, a chance to enjoy nature with each other and not be hunched over a screen for once. 

“It’s hot.”

Tetsurou laughs at that, hand moving from his shoulder to rest on his head and he ruffles Kenma’s long hair, ignoring the growl he’s met with. “That’s why we need to set the tent up, Kyanma.” He guides the two of them to the trunk, “So we can get some shade.”

“It’s also why we’re gonna go kayaking!” Tetsurou turns and is met with a still beaming Koutarou and an already exhausted Keiji, “Isn’t that right, Keiji?”

Keiji nods, removing his glasses to rub his temple, “Yes, but you  _ can’t  _ wander off like that, Kou-tan. These woods are big and I don’t want you getting lost.” 

Kenma snorts from where he’s buried in the trunk, popping back up with an arm full of blankets and pillows. 

“Let me help you, Ken Ken!” Koutarou bounding over, clearly over the fact he was just scolded, and grabbing the pillows from Kenma before their boyfriend can even pose an argument about it. 

Tetsurou sets to work on pulling the tent out, ignoring the mumbling from Kenma and the boisterous laughter of Koutarou, when a hand presses against his shoulder. He looks up, smiling gently at the kind eyes he’s met with.

“Let me help you with that, Tetsu, baby.” Keiji practically coos, kissing his cheek as he reaches for the other handle of the tent and helping him navigate it to the vast clearing they made for the tent. 

Thanks to Keiji, Tetsurou manages to get the tent set up far quicker than if he were to do it alone, and the second the last peg is planted into the ground Kenma makes a move to lay down inside of it. 

“Kenma…” Tetsurou finds himself scolding before he can stop, “What are you doing?”

He wasn’t going to scold Kenma during their trip; in fact, they had all mutually agreed to let things roll over one shoulder when it came to issues and to put them on hold until they got back. There was no need to ruin their vacation because of attitudes or issues, and Tetsurou was far too tired from the car ride to already be getting onto Kenma. That could wait for another day, or when they were back in the sanctuary they call home.

“I’m just going to set the pillows down…” Kenma huffs out, cheeks twingeing red from being caught in his lie.

Koutarou pokes his head out from around the corner and Tetsurou can see the beam of light radiating off of him as he smiles, “Can we go kayaking now?”

Tetsurou glances to Keiji, his younger boyfriend smiling fondly, “Kou-tan, baby, we still need to finish unpacking everything but when we’re done I promise we can go kayak, okay?” 

It’s like Koutarou moves in double time after that, their bigger boyfriend practically running to the car to finish unloading their haul and Tetsurou ends up helping him in the end so Koutarou doesn’t break something — or hurt himself. 

It only takes another fifteen minutes for the remainder of their things to be unloaded from the car, Kenma setting to work on fixating the inside of their tent as Keiji deals with the food and water supply, Tetsurou and Koutarou doing the heavy lifting to grab the rest of their things before they flop onto the ground in exhaustion, heaving out a loud sigh. They were only going to be camping for three days, yet between the four of them they had so much supplies that it seemed like they could last a good two weeks out here. Maybe they could…. Even if it would result in Kenma going feral and clawing Tetsurou’s eyes out after two days. 

“That’s the last of it,” Tetsurou huffs, pulling himself up and brushing off his pants, “I saw the kayak rental a few miles away. We can hike over after we get changed.” 

A glance over to Kenma shows that his boyfriend is obviously upset with the fact they have to hike but, fortunately, he doesn’t bother arguing, just sulking behind quietly and humming under his breath. Tetsurou is glad, really, that Kenma isn’t trying to pose an argument at being dragged along to go kayaking because it would result in a sulking Koutarou, an annoyed Keiji, and Tetsurou needing to mediate the issue before Kenma ended up with a sore backside. 

The walk takes a bit longer than expected, Koutarou having to slow down to match the rest of their pace, but they manage to make it with no issues and Tetsurou stretches his arms over his head before turning to address his three boyfriends. 

Kenma is hunched over to catch his breath, Koutarou is bouncing up and down practically, and Keiji is smiling fondly, hand resting on Koutarou’s shoulder to calm him as he rubs Kenma’s back. 

“So, how do we wanna split up? Oldest and youngest? Me and Kyanma and Keiji and Kou?” 

Keiji hums and opens his mouth to respond but Koutarou is quick to cut him off, “I wanna ride with Tetsu!” 

Kenma shrugs, “I’m fine riding with Keiji. I don’t think I could handle a kayak ride with Tetsurou, honestly.” 

Tetsurou’s hand moves to clutch his chest, feigning a heartbreak under Kenma’s annoyed gaze as Koutarou laughs and slings his arm around Tetsurou’s shoulder. 

“Tetsu and I are gonna have fun! Right, Tetsu baby?” 

Keiji raises an eyebrow, “You two better be smart about this. Especially you, Tetsurou.” He meets Tetsurou’s gaze and he feels a cold breeze despite how warm out it is, “No funny business in these kayaks.”

“Yeah, yeah.” Tetsurou grumbles and waves him off, turning to land a series of kisses against Koutarou’s neck, “We’ll be safe Keiji.” 

Thankfully, Keiji doesn’t press any further, he just links his own arm through Kenma’s and guides their smallest boyfriend to the kayak rental with a wave over his shoulder. Tetsurou unlatches himself from Koutarou’s neck, grabbing his hand and following behind Keiji and Kenma so they can get their own kayak. 

“Do they have pink?” Koutarou asks when they get to the booth, “I like the color pink.” 

Tetsurou snorts, “I think they just have yellow, baby.”

“Oh… Yellow is nice too!” Koutarou beams, eyes sparkling and full of so much love over something as simple as a kayak, “I just wanna ride in one with you so I guess the color doesn’t matter.” 

And the amount of love Tetsurou has for his boyfriend is only amplified in this moment, Koutarou being so endearing and unintentionally precious that it makes Tetsurou have to turn away so Koutarou can’t see his watery eyes. 

“Of course, baby.” Tetsurou hums out after calming himself, smiling just as bright, “Let’s go kayak, yeah?” 

Kayaking is not as easy as they make it seem in the movies, Tetsurou realizes almost immediately. The second they placed their kayak in the water and climbed in, Koutarou had already managed to almost fall three times before they could even situate themselves. Not to mention, they were both very tall, Tetsurou a good 6’3” and having to cramp his legs in the small opening he had for legroom — he had purposely chosen the back seat for this reason, and yet he felt like a giant in a dwarf's world. 

“Okay, I think we managed to get it.” Tetsurou exhales, ignoring the pulse of pain in his leg as he grabs his oar, “You situated Bo?”

Koutarou nods, hand clenching and unclenching the oar and he doesn’t need to be facing Tetsurou for him to know something is off. 

“What’s the matter?”

He’s met with a whine, “I feel cramped.”

Tetsurou can’t even be annoyed with the complaint, not when every little fidget has him wincing, “I know, baby, me too, but once we start going it’ll be no big deal, yeah?” 

Koutarou nods again, this time with more vigor and less sullenness, and Tetsurou takes it as his cue to put his oar in the water. 

“Right first, then left.” Tetsurou echoes the instructions from earlier, “Ready?”

They manage to make it away from the dock, Keiji and Kenma somehow figuring out how to work a kayak before he and Koutarou — Keiji was a natural at literally everything and Kenma was small enough to not have to deal with the issue cramping — and Tetsurou smiles fondly. 

“Well, this can’t be too bad.”

* * *

Keiji was nervous. Not because he was in a kayak with Kenma who had no athletic abilities — and Keiji often doubted if his boyfriend was able to swim at times — but because of their other two boyfriends who were occupying a different kayak several,  _ several  _ feet away. 

“Keiji.” Kenma drawled, craning his neck back as he continues to row them down their marked path, “Relax. Tetsu is with him and I know he’s smart enough to keep them both safe, yeah?” 

And it’s true, despite the foolishness the two of them had Tetsurou was mature and responsible. Koutarou was too, obviously so, but he still tended to need that little push of support sometimes and Tetsurou happened to be the best for that. He was almost like second in command, the one there to help Koutarou when Keiji was busy, and Keiji trusted him to keep Koutarou safe, keep them  _ both  _ safe. 

Yet, that little twinge of fear kept prickling the back of Keiji’s mind even as he rowed in his own kayak. 

“Tetsurou can get easily influenced.” Keiji grumbles, the memories of his and Koutarou’s lousy bets replaying in his mind as he sighs out. 

“When it comes to drinking, maybe. This is a kayak, Tetsurou has enough common sense to row it normally.” 

Keiji nods beside himself, not entirely convinced but wanting to please Kenma anyway, before setting back to rowing them. 

“Besides, how much trouble could the two of them get into? It’s a marked path, and Tetsurou doesn’t like breaking rules.” Kenma’s voice sounds as pensive as ever but Keiji notices how kind his boyfriend is being, his own little reassurances masked in his indifference, “If I can manage to figure out a stupid kayak then the two of them will be fine.”

He hums, nodding along to Kenma, “True, I just worry sometimes.” Keiji glances to Kenma’s hands after that and snorts, “You’re not even rowing, no wonder we’ve been going in circles this entire time.” 

Kenma shrugs, “Listen, at least I’m here. Moral support.” 

Keiji struggles to find his rhythm but eventually manages, ignoring the slight irritation he has for his typically lazy — not lazy, Kenma would claim, just “uninspired” — boyfriend. They make it out of their permanent circle and follow back along the guided path, Keiji grunting and even going as far as to pop the back of Kenma’s head lightly in an attempt to scold him. 

“I could really use your help.” Keiji gestures to his untouched oars, “This works better when there are two people rowing.”

Kenma, bless him, gives in and Keiji is quickly forgetting his previous worries in favor of spending some quality time with Kenma. They had opposite schedules, Keiji being asleep when Kenma was awake and vice versa and despite how close they had become their third year, they rarely got any time to each other. It was nice to be with him now, even stuck in a rental kayak in the middle of a river. 

And Kenma was right, honestly, Keiji had nothing to worry about. Why had he even been panicking in the first place? Tetsurou and Koutarou would be perfectly fine. 

Irony was a cruel joke that liked to slap Keiji in the face on a daily basis. 

Things had been fine, Keiji and Kenma managed to find a groove and were actually successfully rowing together with no issues, and Kenma was  _ actually  _ enjoying it too. Yet, it figured all good things just had to come to an end. 

In the form of two soaking wet and petrified men he calls his boyfriends. 

“Well, would someone like to explain what just happened?” Keiji drawled, arms crossing over his chest as he eyed the two up and down. 

“Well… Kou and I were in our kayaks and then uh, uh well you see…” Tetsurou trails off, focusing on the clouds above them rather than Keiji’s stern gaze, “We thought it would be kinda fun to see how fast we could go.”

“And we went really fast!” Koutarou chimes in, his own eyes staring at his dripping wet shoes, “Until well, we hit a rock and flipped.” 

Keiji tenses, blood pressure skyrocketing as he snaps his head towards the both of them, “You hit a rock?” 

“Yeah but we’re okay, only the kayak got a little damaged.” 

Kenma huffs from beside their rented kayaks, gesturing towards the ding in the one occupied by Koutarou and Tetsurou with a raised brow of his own. 

“Do you have any idea how dangerous that could have been? You should both consider yourselves lucky that you didn’t bang your heads or get seriously injured.” 

Tetsurou scoffs, finally looking at Keiji, “Calm down, Keiji, we weren’t gonna get killed from a stupid little kayak.” 

Kenma is moving before Keiji can react, their smallest boyfriend reaching up and grabbing his ear before tugging it down and forcing their eyes to meet with a scowl. 

“Try that one again.” Kenma scolds, eyes blazing, “Go on.” 

It’s almost scary how quickly Kenma can change, going from being a repressed and quiet little kitten to domineering and stern.

And it obviously works, seeing as though Tetsurou deflates and his cheeks twinge red. 

“Sorry, Keiji…” 

Keiji nods before turning his attention back to Koutarou, his typically very apologetic boy stil staring at his feet sullenly, “Kou-tan?”

Koutarou looks up and Keiji can already see his lip beginning to quiver, “I’m sorry Keiji…” 

“I know, I know you both are.” He affirms, “But we still need to deal with this.”

It’s Tetsurou who reacts first, the other man nearly stomping his foot as he whimpers, “We agreed not to do anything while on our trip!”

“We did, but when it comes to your safety and well being I don’t play around Kuroo Tetsurou.” He takes a deep breath after that, running a hand through his hair before staring pointedly, “So, here’s what we’re going to do.You are both going to return the kayaks to the rental booth for us. When you finish, you’re going to walk back to the tent and change out of your wet clothes so that we can deal with this properly. Do we understand?” 

Koutarou whines and Keiji is quick to land a swat to his backside before he can progress, “Unless you would like a spanking on your wet bottom right here, I’d advise you do as you're told.” 

“Tetsurou.” Kenma’s voice cuts through the already tense atmosphere, “Go cut a switch too while you’re at it.” 

Tetsurou blanches but he doesn’t bother to argue, just nodding and mumbling a “yes sir” before setting to work on returning one of the kayaks. Keiji sends a glance to Koutarou and springs into action, basically running to pick up the other one and following behind Tetsurou like a lost puppy. 

Keiji takes the opportunity to turn to Kenma, “A switch? I can't use that on Kou-tan. He cries when he even  _ sees  _ the cane.” 

“I was just planning on using it on Tetsurou, seeing as though I  _ know  _ it was his genius idea.” Kenma points out with a shrug, “You can use whatever you want for Koutarou, I think I packed the hairbrush even.” 

“That will work fine, you sadist.” 

He’s met with a rather rude gesture, Keiji quick to land a swat to his backside as well, before Koutarou and Tetsurou come sulking back. 

“Well? Go and change.” Kenma tsks, already making his way back to their campsite, “We don’t have all day.” 

The walk back is silent, the air cold and mood dark, and Keiji is quietly guiding Koutarou and Tetsurou into the tent the moment they get back. 

“Tetsurou, don’t forget to cut a switch.” Kenma’s voice trills, “There’s a pocket knife in Keiji’s knapsack you can use. Get me a good one.” 

They’re met with a low groan as the two boys retreat from the tent, Tetsurou sulking off with the knife to cut a switch as Koutarou shifts anxiously foot to foot. 

“You’re not going to get the switch baby,” Keiji reassures and the tension immediately dissipates from Koutarou, “But, you are going to go into my bag and bring me your hairbrush.” 

Koutarou is whining before Keiji can even finish, the boy stomping his foot and shaking his head so much he looks like a bobblehead, “No! Keiji, no, please! No brush…”

“You can always go join Tetsurou in cutting a switch.” Kenma drawls, “You know where they are.” 

Keiji elbows him in the side but, fortunately, Koutarou is already  _ rushing  _ into the tent to retrieve the brush before Kenma can even make true on his threat. 

“Thank you,” Keiji praises when Koutarou places it in his hand with a whine before glancing over to see Tetsurou sulking back with a switch in hand, “Let’s go somewhere private to deal with this, okay? I think Tetsu and Kenma would appreciate the privacy.” 

_ And I don’t want you anywhere near that switch. _

The campsite they chose was rather secluded, meaning they had plenty of open area to claim for themselves in private without fear of running into someone. It was rather useless in any other circumstance, but it would serve perfectly for what was about to occur. 

Keiji sits himself down on an old tree stump and pats his knee, gesturing for Koutarou as he sets the brush down beside him. 

“Come on now,” Keiji’s voice as gentle as ever, “You know what to do.” 

For a moment, Keiji is scared he’ll have to drag Koutarou over his knee — and he absolutely  _ despises  _ doing that — with the way he stands there frozen, but he slowly makes his way over after a few lingering seconds and Keiji relaxes. Koutarou was always so well behaved, being compliant from the second he knew he was in trouble, and this time was no different. No matter the place, or circumstance, Koutarou was always so well behaved. 

“Kou, baby,” Keiji preens when he makes it over, grabbing him by the wrist and guiding him to lay over his knee, “can you lift your hips for me?” 

Aside from the whimpers, Koutarou actually complies and Keiji manages to hook a finger in his pants and boxers and tugs them both down in one fell swoop before resting his hand against his backside. 

“Why are we here, Koutarou!?”

Keiji is met with a quiet whine, “I was naughty and-and put myself into danger with Tetsu…”

“That’s right, you were  _ very  _ naughty.” Keiji nods and brings his hand down sharply, “Especially since I had told you  _ both  _ to be safe and smart.”

Keiji’s hand begins to fall in a pattern after that, his long fingers managing to cover every little bit of Koutarou’s pale cheeks, and it doesn’t take long before he has a squirming and whining baby over his lap. 

“Keiji!” Koutarou whines after a few heavy swats, “I’m sorry!” 

He’s met with a hum, Keiji not bothering to continue his scolding when it’s clear that Koutarou is well aware of why he’s in trouble and lets his hand continue to fall sharply.

“I bet you are.” Keiji’s dry response rings out after several more swats, “Because before we left what did we all agree on?”

Koutarou whimpers, “That we weren’t gonna do any discipline while on our trip…”

“That’s right. Except you and Tetsurou chose to be  _ extremely  _ naughty, so much so that we have to deal with this now.”

“I’m sorry!” Koutarou yells out and Keiji winces at the sound before bringing his hand down a few more times and then stopping, his palm resting on the warm skin while his other hand moves to pat Koutarou’s lower back gently in an attempt to calm him.

“Are we going to do something like this again, Koutarou?”

Koutarou shakes his head aggressively, his head whipping so fast before turning to meet Keiji’s eyes with his own pleading and wet ones.

“No! No, never!”

Keiji nods in agreement and regrabs the brush set down by his foot, tapping it against Koutarou’s blushed backside and ignoring the low whimper that escapes his lips, hips wiggling and hands scrambling on the forest floor for some sense of purchase. 

“I need you to be still for me, Kou-tan. I can’t have you thrashing over my lap during this or else you’ll fall and hurt yourself.” 

A small “okay” is mumbled out and Keiji takes it as his cue to start, bringing the brush down with a heavy swat as Koutarou lets out his first loud sob. 

“K-Keiji, ‘m sorry!” 

He nods and brings the brush down again as he alternates each side, making sure to land equally sharp smacks to each side before focusing his attention on the tops of his thighs. 

The spanking itself isn’t nearly as harsh as it could be, Keiji is aware, but it’s certainly not a baby one either and judging by the way Koutarou kicks and squirms over his lap he knows it’s having an impact on his naughty boyfriend. 

“Keiji.” He turns his head to meet Kenma’s irritated gaze, a grimacing Tetsurou peeping his head from around the corner, “Can I have the car keys?”

Keiji rests the brush against Koutarou’s ass and lifts a brow, “What? You not switching Tetsurou anymore?”

“He’s being stubborn about having his ass beat in the middle of the woods so we’re moving to the car. Keys.” He pauses, scuffing his foot, “Please.”

He fishes in his front pocket, arm wrapping around Koutarou’s waist and swatting his hand down when Koutarou lets out a whine, before tossing them in Kenma’s direction.

“Thanks. Tetsu, move it.” 

Keiji hears a sharp swat and then feet scuffling away and he lets out a low sigh before turning back to Koutarou who still lies limply over his lap.

“Alright. Let’s finish up.”

And he brings the brush down again. 

* * *

“Wait, wait! Kenma, I take it back.” Tetsurou whines out as Kenma practically  _ drags  _ him to their car by the ear, hating how much his back burns from being hunched, “We can use the switch.”

Kenma huffs, “You blew your chance with that the second you acted like a baby. So now,” he unlocks the door before guiding Tetsurou to the backseat, “I’ll put you over my knee like Keiji is doing to Koutarou right now.”

There’s a lingering silence before Tetsurou breaks out into a cackle, eyes watering and arms wrapping around his sides as he laughs loudly.

“Is something  _ funny _ , Tetsurou?” Kenma grits out with a sharp swat to his ass that effortlessly stops his laughter. 

“Oh, just the fact that my 170cm boyfriend claimed he’s going to put me over his knee like I don’t have a good 20 centimeters on him.”

It’s clear that it’s the wrong thing to say when Tetsurou is pressed up to the car door, Kenma’s hand falling fast and sharp against the seat of his pants before he feels hot breath tickling his neck.

“Maybe if the 190cm boyfriend didn’t  _ behave _ like a  _ child _ , he wouldn’t be turned over someone’s knee like a damn child in the first place.” Kenma releases his hold on Tetsurou before rummaging through the backseat, turning around after a few minutes with a belt in his hand, “Pants off, you should know how this works by now.”

Tetsurou can’t deny the fact that he’s apprehensive as he moves to shakily tug his pants down, the faint echo of Koutarou crying travelling to where they reside at the car making the entire situation rear its ugly head all over again. 

That’s right, Kenma’s about to belt his ass because he and Koutarou had been complete  _ idiots  _ not even twenty minutes ago. And here he was making jokes, no wonder he’s getting that damn belt. 

His pants fall into a puddle at his ankles as Kenma situates himself in the back seat, patting his lap with the belt resting in the space beside him. 

“Underwear too, Tetsu.”

Tetsurou lets out a whine but complies with a muttered “yes sir” before he puts himself over Kenma’s lap.

He had been in this position before, although rarely, yet it never got any easier. There was something easier about being bent over the bed or against the wall to get caned or strapped then being perched over small thighs like he’s a highschooler all over again.

“Since I don’t have my paddle and Keiji is using the brush, you’re just getting my hand as a warm up.” Tetsurou cheers silently, “But don’t think that means you’re getting off easily, brat.”

It’s so crazy to Tetsurou that this is the same Kenma he had met back when he was eight-years-old, the Kenma who had spoken two words the day they met and was too shy to order his own food. He wonders what happened, what spurred him to suddenly become this intimidating bitch about to paddle his ass. 

Kenma’s hand falls without warning and Tetsurou gasps, “Am I understood?”

“Yes sir.” Tetsurou whispers out and Kenma lets his hand fall again

Despite how tiny Kenma’s hands were, he always managed to leave a lasting impression on Tetsurou’s poor ass; it was like they were made of steel or something with how hard they were. It only takes ten or so swats for Tetsurou to start his squirming and he’s rewarded with two harsh swats to his thighs for it, willing himself to lay still and compliant over Kenma’s lap. 

“What you did was so idiotic, Tetsu.” Kenma scolds as his hand continues to fall, “You’re an adult, hell you  _ both  _ are, yet you chose to do something so childish and almost risk your lives for what? To seem cool or have fun? You were in a kayak, Tetsu, they have guidelines for a reason to keep shit like this from happening.”

Tetsurou groans as Kenma continues to spank him and the lecturing on top of it all doesn’t do anything to help, “I don’t know, we just thought it would be fun!”

Kenma tuts and it sends a chill down Tetsurou’s back, his tongue darting out to wet his lips, and he stiffens when he feels Kenma’s hand freeze and the sound of metal jangling.

“Fun, sure. Because busting your head on a rock or drowning seems like loads of fun.”

Tetsurou opens his mouth to retort, come up with some halfassed excuse about “the fun they had in high school”, but howls instead when the feeling of leather sharply meets his ass.

“A little warning maybe!?” Tetsurou whines and is only met with two overlapping swats from the belt, Tetsuro’s leg kicking up reflexively. 

“Okay, I’m starting.” Kenma blankly states as he brings the belt down again, “Hold still.”

“It hurts, y’know! It isn’t easy to stay still!” 

Kenma groans, and Tetsurou can also assume he rolls his eyes, before the belt falls five times in a row with little pause in between, “Yes, I’m sure it does. But you need to be good and lay still like you’re supposed to, yes?”

“Yes sir.” Tetsurou grits out through clenched teeth and is rewarded with another lash of the belt against his aching rear, “Fuck…”

“Are you ever going to do something as stupid as this again?”

Tetsurou shakes his head, toes curling as the belt falls again, “No sir!”

“Good boy.” Kenma responds and it’s as close to praise as Tetsurou will get and  _ gods  _ does he eat it up, focusing so hard to keep his body still and making sure to present his ass as best he can, “we’re almost done.”

Those three words are some of the best he’s heard in his entire life, the pain and ebbing throb in his backside slowly subsiding as he focuses more on the fact that they’re almost done with all of this — even when Kenma brings the belt down five more times with no pauses in between, the last two meeting the sensitive parts of his ass.

Then the belt falls, the metal jingling ringing in Tetsurou’s ears as he lets out a whimper when Kenma’s hand falls a few more times against his burning ass.

“H-Hey!”

Kenma tuts before guiding Tetsurou off his lap, gesturing to his pants that reside around his ankles, “Redress. We need to see Koutarou and Keiji again.”

“But my ass hurts! Can’t I change into my pajamas?”

“No.” Kenma dryly bites out, “You should feel the sting for the rest of the night, have it as a reminder to not do something so stupid again.”

Tetsurou pouts but redresses his bottom half anyway, wincing when the material rubs up against his aching backside before he feels arms wrapping around his torso.

“Kenma?”

His boyfriend sniffs against him, “You’re so stupid.” 

It’s as close to an “I was so scared” as he’ll get but he’ll cherish it, letting his arms wrap around Kenma as well and the pain in his backside slowly becoming an afterthought in their warm embrace.

* * *

“Kou-tan, I need you to stop crying, baby.” Keiji soothes, Koutarou curled up on his lap like a puppy as he sobs helplessly into the crook of his neck, “I forgive you, it’s all over.” 

“It hurts, Keiji!” Koutarou sobs again and Keiji can only sigh out.

The spanking had finished after a good twenty or so more with the brush and Koutarou had not stopped sobbing since, even ten minutes after the brush was set down.

“I know it hurts, baby, it’s meant to.” Keiji runs his hand through his hair, fingers combing through the locks, “But you need to calm down, okay? Kenma and Tetsurou will be back soon and I’m sure they want to see your smiling face again.” 

It’s also because Kenma is sure to have some words with him but unless Keiji wants the sobbing to continue on he’s not going to mention it. Yet.

“O-Okay…” Koutarou whimpers out, sniffling and crying against his shoulder, and it takes another five minutes for the sniffling to die down and a low cough to ring out. 

Keiji turns when he hears leaves rustling beside him followed by low voices, Kenma and Tetsurou’s, and Koutarou is slowly lifting his face away from Keiji to meet his boyfriend’s eyes with a sad pout on his face.

“Tetsu.” He whines, “We shouldn’t have done that.” 

“You’re right, Koutarou.” Kenma affirms, guiding Tetsurou the rest of the way to meet him and Keiji, “And like I was telling Tetsu, you’re lucky neither of you got hurt.”

Tetsurou smirks and mumbles something under his breath, only to be met with a smack upside his head and his smirk quickly morphs into a pout. 

“I’m sorry Ken Ken!” Koutarou frowns and pushes himself off Keiji’s lap to throw himself against Kenma, hugging their smallest boyfriend so tightly that Keiji has to pry him off, “We didn’t mean to be naughty!”

Despite being hugged tightly and unannounced, Kenma doesn’t seem mad, the smallest hint of admiration glinting in his eyes as he turns to Keiji with a look that can’t mean anything good. 

“You’re both forgiven.” Keiji gets out before Kenma can say anything, “But-”

“But we’re revisiting this again when we get home. We need to have an actual sit down conversation to discuss everything.”

Tetsurou and Koutarou nod, the two of them lacing their fingers together as Koutarou rests his chin against Tetsurou’s shoulder.

“But for now, let’s enjoy the rest of our trip.”

Keiji smiles, “And let’s not have any more trouble, please?”

The three of them all exchange looks, Koutarou and Tetsurou smirking as Kenma shrugs, “No promises.”

Yeah, that was expected. But Keiji wouldn’t have it any other way. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is the first of many fics involving polyam bokuakakuroken so please stay tuned for more!
> 
> thank you flampy for inspiring me to actually finish this, i have been talking and thinking about them non-stop for months and am absolutely in love with their dynamics and relationship as a whole and that's a lot of the reason that i wrote this fic.  
> it's something very different than i have written before, power dynamics and domestic discipline is something that should be discussed in detail with partners and it should only be done by consenting and willing adults — this is a work of fiction but please follow proper etiquette. 
> 
> once again, i was very apprehensive about posting this but i have a lot of feelings about this ship and wanted to push the agenda so here we are.
> 
> i would love to share my headcanons about them if anyone is interested so just let me know! 
> 
> as always, leave kudos and comments and support <3 it would mean a lot to me
> 
> \- bee (mase)


	2. i don't blame you if you want to.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _There was one omnipresent aspect in Kenma’s life, though, the one thing that had been in his life almost as long as Tetsurou and created just as major of an impact as everything else.  
>  Nekomata Yasufumi._
> 
> or coach nekomata comes to visit and kenma can't help but feel like something is going to go terribly wrong.  
> too bad his assumptions are correct.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> not proofread and this ended up being longer than planned, sorry...
> 
> enjoy anyway!
> 
> **warning for manga spoilers!**
> 
> _title from goodbye, my danish sweetheart by mitski_

Kenma liked to believe things in life happened for a reason. 

Like how at the young age of seven he met his soulmate — it was cliche, really, the idea of ‘soulmates’ or the ‘red string of fate’ but that’s exactly what it was — and how he spent the next two decades of his life right by his side. All the time spent practicing volleyball in the yard or Tetsurou trying to figure out how one of Kenma’s games worked, the way Kenma’s cheeks would flush with every compliment Tetsurou directed towards him, and how the sleepovers turned from staying up late giggling to heartfelt confessions that only made them grow closer. 

The conversations that made Kenma yearn to protect Tetsurou and be there for him in the same way his older friend was.

Or how when Tetsurou graduated and left Kenma alone after all those years spent together that he goes to Keiji, trying to find a way to mend that missing piece of him in the best way he can. Plus, the new Fukurodani captain was as kind and soft-spoken as ever; he was also pretty, very pretty, so much in the sense that it intimidated Kenma more than he wanted to admit. 

Yet the two of them getting close was such an important thing in Kenma’s life, because before when he almost relied on the buffer that was Tetsurou to branch out, he found it came almost naturally with someone like Keiji. 

Because Keiji was just that: natural, someone who was dependable and helpful, and all that time he spent projecting his kind heart onto Koutarou was suddenly being projected onto Kenma; and who was Kenma to deny that. Especially when it meant the kind remarks in between practice matches, or the extra meals prepared and set aside for him that they ate together — the ones in which Kenma’s head would rest on his shoulder as Keiji’s delicate fingers combed through his hair — or even the confessions; the one that Kenma hadn’t even told his own team about. 

Then, there was Koutarou. The loud and outspoken boy that typically made Kenma want to recoil or shy away became far more endearing than Kenma had previously pre-perceived, he was gentle and caring and it suddenly made so much sense on  _ why  _ Keiji was so quick to support the older boy. It was because he exchanged that support, gave it right back in armfuls and truckloads and he never hesitated for even a moment to make Kenma feel unwelcome or unwanted. Koutarou was kind, one of the few people in Kenma’s life that he allowed to cling onto him, and he was another happy addition to Kenma’s life that he never realized he needed until he finally got it. 

There were other things too, like meeting Shoyou and getting to play a match with him or befriending people like Tora or Fukunaga, even Yaku, during high school. The people in his life having such an impact on him nearly ten years later, the memories becoming something Kenma cherished more than anything and never let go of — just because he wasn’t playing volleyball anymore didn’t mean he couldn’t reminisce, he wasn’t as recluse as Tetsurou and Koutarou made him out to be.

There was one omnipresent aspect in Kenma’s life, though, the one thing that had been in his life almost as long as Tetsurou and created just as major of an impact as everything else. 

Nekomata Yasufumi. 

It had been twenty years since that first meeting, two entire decades since Kenma met the man who inspired him more than anyone in the world and who later became his high school coach and Tetsurou’s literal  _ role model _ , and Kenma was still living his life based on the things he had learned from him. 

All the anecdotes and lectures that he gave — even the time spent in less favorable circumstances with him, the ones that Kenma cursed the day ever happened but still managed to feel a sense of gratefulness from it — or the casual conversations in passing, the kind smiles and encouragement he received, Kenma held it near and dear to his heart.

It all fell back to the central belief Kenma held onto, that everything seemed to happen for a reason: and that the very first interaction he and Tetsurou had with Nekomata would impact them for the rest of their lives,  _ especially _ Tetsurou. 

_ 20 years prior _

“Kenma.” Tetsurou tugged his shirt, eyes flicking side to side, “Are you sure you’re fine coming here?”

To be honest, not really. Kenma had only really decided to start playing to appease Tetsurou in the first place, his friend showed an interest in his hobbies and Kenma wanted to do the same, but he wasn’t going to tell him that; not when Tetsurou looked positively anxious about the new environment. 

Sometimes Kenma felt like the older one, especially during times like these when Tetsurou slunk behind him or made Kenma ask his mom for extra snacks. 

“I don’t think mom would like it if I stayed home…” Kenma shrugs, turning to look over at whatever Tetsurou is focusing his attention on, “What are you looking at?”

“That’s Coach Nekomata.” Tetsurou sighs out, eyes sparkling in the same way they did when he announced to Kenma that he should be a setter, “I’m going to go talk to him.”

Kenma grimaces, “Kuro…” 

He pulls away from their clasped hands after that, Kenma staring down at his own empty one as he watches his friend beam and chat with Coach Nekomata as though he’s known him his entire life. 

Kenma can’t help but smile softly at that, because he’s finally seeing for the first time just how much volleyball means to Tetsurou. 

“Hey.” He turns to see Tetsurou bounding back, “Come with me.”

Their fingers relock after that and Kenma follows Tetsurou without any hesitation. Because if someone can make his friend smile the way he is right now, then they’re definitely worthy of Kenma’s time. 

* * *

“Can you believe Nekomata-sensei is turning 85 soon?” Tetsurou announces at dinner one night, Koutarou and Keiji exchanging looks with each other as Kenma hums, “I want to do something for him.”

“Nekomata…” Keiji drawls, hand reaching up to cup his chin, “This is your old high school coach, right?”

Kenma nods, “Yeah. He also coached a little league team Tetsurou was a part of when we were kids. I remember being dragged there with him… He followed Nekomata around like a lost puppy.”

Tetsurou scowls but doesn’t retort, simply because he  _ knows  _ it’s true, “Whatever like you didn’t do the same with me when we got into high school.” Kenma matches his scowl, “But yeah, he’s had a really big impact on my life… He’s the reason I chose the career path I did.”

Koutarou cocks his head, “Really? Why haven’t you told us more about him, Tetsu?”

“Yeah, I’m wondering that too.” Keiji raises his eyebrow and peers over his glasses, “I thought we would know more about your…” He pauses and waves his hand in the air as though trying to think of the right term.

“Ojiisan.” Kenma snorts out and is rewarded with a kick, “Hey!”

“Brat.” Tetsurou sneers out with no real venom, “He’s more like my mentor, I guess you could say. After my mom left it was kind of nice to know I had someone else caring for me, between him and Kozume-san.”

His dad was always busy with work as Tetsurou grew older leaving him to spend a majority of his time at Kenma’s or even cherishing that little bit of time he had with Nekomata during the week, and he had grown to become more independent because of these facts. It was a big reason why he was so quick to go to Nekoma, to even consider becoming captain and encouraging Kenma to join him: because of all that guidance and motivation pushed onto him from such a young age.

From the moment he had met Nekomata twenty years ago. 

Keiji pulls him from his thoughts with a hum, his boyfriend taking another sip of his coffee, “What were you wanting to do? I was under the impression you would take him out to lunch or something but we could always do something here.”

“I couldn’t ask that of you guys…” Tetsurou smiles gently, heart pounding with sheer admiration for Keiji the same way it did when he came back his third year, “I can take him to lunch or something, I’m sure he’ll want me to spoil him with some fancy restaurant now that he knows I’m the one buying.”

Closer to Tetsurou graduating, Nekomata had begun inviting him to lunch on the weekends. It wasn’t anything special, just a chance for them to discuss who the next captain should be and discuss Tetsurou’s internal debate on staying in volleyball and going professional like Yaku or if he should do something more related to marketing. 

Nekomata had always paid, it didn’t matter if Tetsurou got money from his dad or otherwise, his old coach absolutely refuse to let him pay even a penny under the premonition that “You’ll be able to pay me back when you’re rich and successful”, always coupled with a hearty laugh as he ordered Tetsurou way more food than he really needed.

It would be nice to relive that time from high school, the time spent with his coach were memories that he absolutely cherished and it had been far too long since he had caught up with the man who inspired him to do so much in his life. But, it would be nice to show off his boyfriends and he knew that Nekomata would never oppose seeing Kenma again.

“He can stay here for the weekend.” Koutarou added, eyes half focused on his phone and half focused on the bowl of cereal in front of him, “I don’t have practice after today until Tuesday and we have Ken Ken’s game room that he can sleep in.”

Keiji nods in agreement, “I should be done with this chapter before Friday so I’ll be free as well, and I know that you don’t have anything to do either, Tetsu.”

Tetsurou managed to finish a really important signing process days early so he had the rest of the week to himself, his boss so impressed with the tenacity that she didn’t hesitate in agreeing to give him the extra time off, and it  _ would  _ be nice to have a fun weekend with his boyfriends there.

“Kenma?” All their eyes turn to their smallest boyfriend who, minus the earlier quips, managed to remain quiet during their breakfast, “Are you free this weekend as well?”

Kenma fiddles with his spoon, lips quirking in the same way they do when he’s about to lie about his sleep schedule, “I don’t know.”

“It would mean a lot to me if you spent the weekend with us, all of us.” Tetsurou preened, eyes shining in the most — as Kenma calls it — ‘ _ annoyingly pleasant’  _ way they can, “Plus, Nekomata-sensei will be here. Don’t you wanna see him again?”

“I guess…” Kenma responds so blankly that it’s almost concerning, the way his attention focuses on anything but the actual conversation and if Tetsurou didn’t know better he would think that he’s trying to hide something, “I’ll be busy, though.”

The reply is so instant that Tetsurou stills, eyes drifting over to Keiji who raises his hands in a ‘don’t ask me’ manner, and even Koutarou looks up from his phone with a cocked head. 

Just what in the world was going on with Kenma?

“Busy? You make your own schedule, Kyanma, can you not free up this weekend?”

Kenma looks up, eyebrows narrowing as he abandons his cereal entirely, “No. I can’t.”

“Kenma.” Keiji starts and Tetsurou places his hand on his shoulder to stop him, eyes pleading.

“Is this stream of yours really that important that you can’t reschedule?”

The tension around the table is so stagnant, Keiji glaring at Kenma from where he sits beside Tetsurou and Koutarou slowly pockets his phone with a low cough in an attempt to diffuse it all. 

“I should get going.” Koutarou meekly gets out, eyes darting around the table in a way that makes Tetsurou want to smile — if it weren’t for the pain in the ass across from him, “Omi Omi will be by to pick me up soon.”

Koutarou makes his way around the table to kiss them all goodbye, Tetsurou noticing how tensely he leaves a peck on Kenma’s lips before he places his bowl into the sink and waves them off.

“I’ll see you guys tonight.” He calls as he shoulders his bag and Tetsurou takes the opportunity to pull him aside when he moves to grab his shoes.

“Kou, don’t let breakfast get to you today.” Tetsurou whispers, glancing back to see Keiji going back to finishing his coffee as Kenma continues to glare at the table, “Kenma’s just… Well, he’s being Kenma.”

Koutarou nods with a soft smile, “I’ll be fine, Omi Omi and Tsumu Tsumu can distract me on our way to the gym.” Of course Koutarou would be fine, he always was, “Text me if anything happens… I’m, I’m a little worried about Kenma.”

“Worried?”

He doesn’t get a response, just Koutarou kissing his cheek once more before rushing out the door with another wave as he jumps into Sakusa’s, rather expensive, car. Honestly, maybe he should look into getting a fancy sports car, too, it would be nice. 

That was for another day though, one where he wasn’t increasingly worried about two of his boyfriends — one of which seems to be angry at the world today and the other who was kind to everything that moved.

Tetsurou heads back into the kitchen after that and is almost grateful to see Kenma moving to set his bowl in the sink, the tension from earlier quickly dissipating as Keiji sets his empty mug down and turns towards Kenma’s direction. 

“Kenma, let me help you do the dishes.” 

It was Kenma’s turn to do them, they always cycled off and Keiji was a stickler for making sure they took the responsibility when it came to their day, so he knew that it was just because he wanted to see what was going on with Kenma. 

Tetsurou shoots Keiji a look, a quiet ‘thank you’ laced in his eyes before he moves into the living room and fishes his phone out of his pocket, not wasting any time in dialing.

“Hey, Nekomata-sensei, it’s Kuroo. What are you doing this weekend?”

* * *

It was clear that Kenma had no way to avoid the inevitable at this point; not when everything just had to happen for a reason. 

And it wasn’t that Kenma didn’t  _ not  _ want to spend time with Nekomata or his boyfriends for that matter, it was just… Well,  _ what _ was it?

He liked Nekomata-sensei, and initially, he had been so excited to see him again until the simplest revelation reared its head and caused Kenma to almost shoot awake in bed.

Tetsurou’s insistent need to micromanage the smallest of things. 

There was also the premonition that something bad was going to happen. Kenma had been feeling weird about Nekomata visiting them from the second Tetsurou announced that it was his birthday soon and when he has three exponentially caring boyfriends, the idea of him spending time with them was basically unavoidable, and the fact that he knows Tetsurou is going to go above and beyond to make sure things are perfect only makes it worse. 

It made sense though, Tetsurou adored him, and Keiji was always wanting to learn more about Tetsurou’s family and early life, and Koutarou, well, he just loved everyone. 

So there was really no way to get out of the situation, not when Tetsurou is hounding him to clean his office and Keiji has spent the last two days deep cleaning every inch of their house alongside him. It was just Nekomata visiting, not the prime minister. Though, with the way Tetsurou was acting you would think Nekomata may as well be in a high position of power… Nonetheless, Kenma was already having a bad feeling about the upcoming weekend and every second spent avoiding the inevitable only lead to the sinking feeling to grow far worse in the pit of his stomach. 

_ Especially _ because of Tetsurou. 

Even after all these years, Nekomata was the same. He had the same kind smile and caring eyes, already so invested in the conversation Keiji’s holding with him as Koutarou makes a move to collect his bags and carrying them to Kenma’s setup, and he can see the way Tetsurou is practically infatuated with it all as he rests his hand on Kenma’s shoulder.

“Looks like he and Keiji are hitting it off.” 

Kenma raises a brow, “Yeah, because Keiji acts like a 70-year-old man half of the time. I bet they talked about hard candies and crosswords on the way here.” 

Tetsurou rolls his eyes at that, hand pressing down even firmer on his shoulder, “Stop being snarky, you didn’t even come with us to pick him up.” He loosens the pressure and Kenma glares up at him, “Besides, the least you can do is greet him, Kenma. You haven’t seen him since high school and he’s going to be with us all weekend.”

_ Like I had a say in this matter _ , Kenma wants to grind out but is stopped when he sees Nekomata turning to him with the same kind eyes as before.

“Kenma-kun,” he smiles, “how have you been, son? You look so much more mature, I think that hair of yours suits you.” 

Kenma nods, “Thanks.”

He stiffens when Keiji glares at him, eyes narrowing as he mouths a ‘be polite’ before he turns to put the kettle on.

“I, uh, don’t like having it short. So I haven’t cut it since my third-year.”

Nekomata laughs, “Hmm, I can tell. You haven’t changed a bit, Kenma-kun.”

Kenma opens his mouth to respond when Koutarou bounds back in, arm slinging around him as he kisses his forehead. 

“Ken Ken, your game room is getting messy.”

Tetsurou scoffs from next to him, “You should clean it later. It’s always so messy.””

“No one goes in there besides me, why does it matter?”

Keiji shakes his head from where he’s busy preparing their tea and Tetsurou continues on, “Nekomata-sensei is staying there for the weekend, Kenma. It would have been courteous to pick up a little, you know.”

“No worries, it really isn’t a big issue. I don’t want to be a big burden over it.” Nekomata reassures and Kenma feels a sense of annoyance at the casual tone despite the way he was just scolded by both him and Tetsurou simultaneously, “In any sense, Kenma-kun has always been rather untidy since high school.”

Tetsurou snorts at that and Kenma levels him with a glare but doesn’t push further, not when Keiji is looking at him between pouring cups of tea and Nekomata has that same sly look on his face as he did anytime the name ‘Karasuno’ or ‘Ukai’ was mentioned.

“Nekomata-san, how do you take your tea?” The simple question from Keiji releasing the pressure amongst them all and taking the attention off Kenma, “Sugar and honey?”

Nekomata nods, turning away from where Tetsurou and Kenma are and Kenma takes the opportunity to elbow him in the ribs with a scowl. 

“Stop making me look bad in front of him, you ass.”

Tetsurou smirks like the cat that got the cream, “Stop being a messy little brat, Kyanma. Besides, isn’t Kou the one that called you out on it?”

Koutarou shrugs and releases his arm from around Kenma, “I didn’t think Ojiisan would agree with me, Ken Ken.”

Tetsurou’s eyes widen and Kenma has to bite back a smirk, “ _ Kou _ !”

“What? Kenma said it first…” Koutarou grumbles out before pursing his lips, “Speaking of, Ken Ken. Are you feeling okay?”

Kenma stills, not expecting the question and certainly not expecting it from Koutarou of all people, “Yeah. I’m fine.”

A small glance over towards Tetsurou shows that he’s not buying it but, thankfully, he doesn’t call him out on his shit and instead turns his attention to Koutarou.

“Come on, let’s go talk to Nekomata-sensei some more.”

“Ojiisan!”

The small pop to the back of Koutarou’s head is almost enough for Kenma to forget about the sinking feeling in his gut and the annoyance crawling under his skin.

Almost. 

* * *

“Kuroo-kun.” Tetsurou turns to see Nekomata sitting in the recliner, Koutarou and Keiji curled up on the couch and Kenma scrolling through his phone from where he lays sprawled out on top of them, “How’s your job going, son?”

The conversations leading up the Tetsurou’s graduation replay in his mind in that moment: the way Nekomata had been presenting the idea of him becoming a sports promoter and, come to think of it, he isn’t entirely sure he ever  _ told  _ his former coach that he went through with it. 

“Well, I just signed a great deal with Shoyou, he’s one of Kou’s teammates on MSBY, and Kenma went in with me.” He smiles at the memory, the way Kenma had been insisting that he was the best choice and, honestly, it had been, “So I managed to get a week off, full pay, in return.”

Nekomata nods and Tetsurou can see the way his eyes sparkle, “I never doubted your success for a minute, Kuroo.”

The praise makes him flush and from where Kenma rests on the couch he can see his first love smirk before turning back to his phone. 

“Kenma? How about you, son?”

His boyfriend snaps his head back at that, clearly not expecting the conversation to move on to him when Tetsurou was already talking to Nekomata. 

“Well, Bouncing Ball is fine.” He starts and Tetsurou waits for him to continue on, Kenma just ending the conversation instead and turning back to his phone, effectively leaving the room in an awkward silence. 

“Kenma.” Tetsurou finds himself scolding even though it’s clear Kenma isn’t really wanting to engage in small talk at the moment, “Nekomata-sensei wants to hear about your job.”

Kenma turns back over with an all too familiar look on his face, the same one he sent Lev all through high school, “I had a stream planned for this Saturday that I postponed for this weekend, I’m about to start promotions for a Bouncing Ball x Kirby collab, and I’m looking into starting a new gaming series. Thank you for asking, Nekomata-sensei.”

He finishes off with a puff in his cheeks before turning back to his phone and he glances over to Nekomata, head downcast as their former coach just watches Kenma with a laugh. 

“I apologize for him, sir.” Tetsurou shakes his head and ignores the glaring eyes at the back of his head. 

“Nonsense,” Nekomata reassured — why was Tetsurou even surprised? He was always so kind  _ especially  _ towards him and Kenma — before turning his attention to his boyfriend engaged in whatever was more interesting on his phone, “that’s nice to hear, Kenma-kun.”

Tetsurou glances over to Kenma again and is met with a scowl and he decides to not engage anymore, it’s not worth a fight when they have company over and his boyfriend is probably just grumpy that he can’t do one of his streams. 

It’s fine, everything is fine. This weekend is going to be perfect, Tetsurou is sure of it. 

Even if Kenma is somehow determined to ruin it. 

Thankfully, as the weekend progresses, Kenma seems to have gotten better. Tetsurou is fairly certain he was never sick or anything in the first place, but he  _ knows  _ that something had been bothering his boyfriend this entire time and he doesn’t really get the chance to ask. Not when a majority of his time is spent either entertaining Nekomata-sensei or making sure everything is going smoothly.

Honestly, it’s no wonder Keiji scolds him about his tendency to be in control; especially now when every little event that happens is coupled with Tetsurou going out of his way to ensure that things  _ are  _ in fact okay. 

It seems to work though, because Koutarou and Keiji are casually talking with Nekomata-sensei about their career (Koutarou practically  _ boasting  _ about Keiji’s editing and Keiji trying to turn it over to Koutarou’s most recent MSBY match) while Kenma went for a drink run and Tetsurou is checking up on emails, and from the looks of it, Nekomata is so deeply invested. 

“What are you doing now, Nekomata-san?” Keiji questions as he tugs his legs up under him, hand resting gently on Koutarou’s thigh with a peer over his glasses, “I presume you aren’t coaching anymore.” 

Nekomata chuckles, his laugh as hearty as it was from when Tetsurou was in high school, “Ah, you’re right. I’m far too old to be dealing with high schoolers, I think your other boys sent me to an early retirement with their bickering. It’s just me and my Hachi now, sweet little cat. Well, Ikkei comes around often too...” 

He trails off and Koutarou’s head perks up at that, Tetsurou stiffening as he turns away from his phone to focus better on the conversation his boyfriends are more suddenly engaged in, “Ken Ken and Tetsu fought? They never really fight now.”

“I don’t like to use that word, but… I guess you could say that. It was mainly during the last few months before Kuroo-kun graduated.”

Is he referring to  _ that  _ fight?

“What happened?”

Nekomata exhales with a shimmer in his eyes, glancing towards Tetsurou with a wink and he flushes at the realization that he’s  _ definitely  _ going to talk about that fight, “It was a few weeks after their loss at Nationals.” 

_ 10 years prior _

“Nekomata-sensei, sir…” Yasufumi looks up from where he’s reading over the chart again, a nervous-looking Fukunaga in front of him who keeps glancing back, “They’re arguing, again.”

Yasufumi raises his eyebrow, “Who?”

“Kenma and Kuroo…” He takes another nervous glance back and Yasufumi follows his gaze, mentally scolding himself for not noticing the obvious tension and the start of a screaming match between the two boys as they pack up for the night. 

Kuroo is glaring at Kenma who, uncharacteristically, is standing up stiffly straight and matching his intense stare. 

“Thank you, son.” Yasufumi praises with a gentle pat to Fukunaga’s head before setting his clipboard down and moving closer to the dynamic duo about to have something akin to a catfight in the middle of his gym.

“You know what, Kuro.” Kenma snarls and Yasufumi can’t help but widen his eyes at the outburst, “I can’t  _ wait  _ until you graduate, maybe then you’ll finally mind out of my life.”

“Fine by me! Since clearly, you don’t give two shits about anyone but yourself.”

Kenma’s eyes flicker between annoyance and sheer  _ anger _ at that moment and Yasufumi doesn’t have time to react before he’s right in Kuroo’s face, “You’re a piece of shit.”

“Kenma-kun.”

He’s ignored, Kuroo towering over him instead with piercing eyes, “And you’re a little insufferable brat who takes out your frustration on everyone around you, Kenma. Grow up.”

Yasufumi never got involved in outbursts amongst the team, he usually left it to Yaku-kun — the libero’s reputation proceeding him — or, mainly, Kuroo-kun, but with his current outbursts it’s clear that he’s not even remotely close to being an option. 

Kai-kun wasn’t here, either, their poor vice-captain catching a wicked head cold and missing out the entire week, and Naoi had long since disappeared — damn kid – so that really only left Yasufumi to deal with it. 

He wasn’t senile, despite what his kids thought, he knew exactly how verbal assaults and arguments were handled first-hand and he had definitely not been surprised by the proclamation from Kuroo all those months ago about the way it was handled; not when he had done the same in the past himself when it came to terms of health or grades.

“You know what, Kuro? Maybe if you weren’t such a know-it-all little—”

Yasufumi whips his head around at that, “That is  _ quite  _ enough, Kenma-kun.” He barks out and Kenma snarls, the remaining jab lost on the tip of his tongue, “Kuroo-kun, you as well.”

He exhales deeply, hand moving up to rub his temple. These kids were going to send him to an early retirement, and he had  _ just  _ gotten out of one, “What started all of this? You boys never fight.”

The two are silent, exchanging silent glares with each other, and Yasufumi snaps his fingers, “Hey. I asked you both a question, I expect both of you to answer me. Understood?”

Kuroo speaks up first, the captain deflating and losing all sense of fight as he looks into Yasufumi’s eyes, “I started it, sir.”

“Kuro, stop—”

He raises his hand to cut Kenma off, eyebrow raising slightly before turning his attention back to Kuroo, “Go on.”

“I started getting onto Kenma because he wasn’t helping take the net down, and he got mad and mumbled something under his breath and I kind of, well, I kind of said not-so-nice things about him in return... I’m not proud of it, at all.”

Yasufumi turns his gaze to Kenma, the setter hunching in on himself and staring at his tennis shoes like they’re one of his games, “What did you tell him?”

“That… He really is a spoiled prince.”

He sighs out at that, staring at the ceiling and counting to five before focusing back on Kenma who hasn’t taken his eyes off the ground even once, “Kenma-kun? Would you like to tell me what you muttered under your breath?”

“I called him a prick…” 

Yasufumi smiles for a moment before quickly pushing it away, “Speak up, son. I’m losing my hearing, after all.”

Kenma looks up with a pout, cheeks flushed the same red as his track pants, “I called him a prick.”

Yeah, he figured as much. Kenma’s vocabulary was quite colorful, honestly, and he had not been blind to the warning swats Kuroo sent him for it. 

Despite the fact that the two of them are no longer at each other’s throats, Yasufumi is not about to drop this. Not when some nasty things were said and Kenma was about to say something completely and utterly inappropriate; and it’s clear that Kuroo realizes that too, judging by the way his lip begins to quiver and the glint of tears in his eyes.

Disagreements were one thing, gods knew his kids could bicker about the smallest of things. Verbal fights, however? He drew the line at that.

“Right, I think that clears everything up. So let’s move on to your punishments then.” Kuroo and Kenma shoot up at that, “I think it’s quite clear that you both need a proper tanning.”

“Sir, if I may—”

“You may not.” Yasufumi interrupts, hand placating Kuroo who looks like he’s about to jump, “I don’t tolerate fighting and I know you do not either, Kuroo-kun, and how are these things handled when it comes to your teammates?”

Neither boy answers, Yasufumi hadn’t been expecting them to anyway, and he nods, “Exactly. So, we are going to go to the locker room and deal with this matter and then you are both going to go home for the night. Understood?”

He’s met with two mumbled replies and deems it enough, it’s not worth trying to instigate a proper response when it’s clear neither of them are happy about the circumstances, and he beckons them towards the gym doors.

“Come along, now. I don’t want to stay here all night.” 

Nekomata finishes the story without going into any more detail and Tetsurou releases a huff of air he hadn’t realized he had been holding onto, fingers frozen over his keypad as he glances from Keiji and Koutarou to Nekomata.

“Wow…” Koutarou breaks the silence, head shaking as he sends a worrying glance to Tetsurou, “I didn’t realize Ken Ken and Tetsu fought like that… Usually, they just bicker a lot until Keiji gets into them.” 

Keiji hums and his gaze is enough to make Tetsurou wince but, fortunately, he doesn’t say anything, just lowering his eyebrows and smirking with a certain glint in his eyes.

“None of us did, we didn’t expect it either” Nekomata laughs heartily, hand clapping on Koutarou’s thigh, “it was why I was left to deal with it and not Naoi or even Yaku-kun.”

“Tetsu was so naughty,” Koutarou responds without an ounce of shame and Tetsurou is glad that he isn’t close enough to pop his head for that one.

“Kou.” Keiji scolds for him instead and Nekomata lets out another laugh before pulling himself up from the couch. 

Tetsurou watches him as he moves towards the kitchen, sending a wave over his shoulder, “It was mainly your other paramour.”

Speaking of Kenma, Tetsurou glances at the time and huffs a breath. He should have been back with their drinks ages ago; not to mention, he hasn’t heard from him either. 

He checks his messages to make sure that Kenma hasn’t texted and he maybe missed it but the last message is from the other night when Tetsurou sent a raunchy meme and Kenma joked about blocking him. Other than that, he has no missed messages or calls. 

“Have you guys heard from Kenma?” Tetsurou calls, phone spinning in his hand as Keiji scans his with a shake of his head and Koutarou pouts.

“No, I thought he would have texted you.” Keiji’s eyebrows furrowing, the same look he gets when he’s deep in thought, “How long has it been?”

“He said he was gonna go to the tea place before Ojiisan started talking to us about our jobs.” Koutarou hums, chin resting in his hand as he puffs his cheeks, “So probably close to an hour?”

Tetsurou groans, “An hour?”

Too many memories from high school resurface at that, Tetsurou going on practical wild goose chases to track down Kenma in his need to be hyper-fixated on his video games instead of his surroundings, but the reminder that Kenma is now a grown adult is enough to stop his frantic spiraling. He was probably fine, he may have just gotten tied up when picking up their drinks and lost track of time or maybe he met someone on the street and had a conversation with them. No, that wasn’t right. Kenma didn’t even like talking to Tetsurou at times and—

“Have you tried calling?” Keiji breaks the internal turmoil Tetsurou is having and he freezes before he exhales loudly, hand reaching up to drag down his face.

Keiji was honestly a heaven-sent; Tetsurou didn’t deserve him, really. 

“Call him, Tetsurou.” Keiji scolds, “Before you send yourself to an earlier death.”

“Yeah, yeah.” He waves off and reaches for his phone, dialing Kenma’s number and almost dropping it when he hears Kenma pick up after only a ring, “Kyanma? Hello?”

“ _ What? _ ”

Tetsurou’s jaw sets, “Where are you? You should have been back ages ago with our drinks.”

There’s a beat of silence, “ _ The line was long, calm down. I’m almost back. I’ll be home in like two seconds, Tetsurou. _ ”

The line clicks off at that and Tetsurou grumbles as he shoves his phone back into his pocket, Nekomata resurfacing from where he disappeared into their kitchen with a gentle smile.

“I hope you don’t mind but I took the liberty of checking your food supply,” he rolls his shoulders back and turns to Keiji with a smile, “let me cook us all dinner tonight, son.”

“Oh you don’t have to,” Keiji tries insisting and Tetsurou wants to warn his boyfriend that there’s really no winning an argument against Nekomata-sensei, “it’s Kenma’s night, anyway.”

“My night for what?”

All the heads in the room turn to Kenma, the blond waltzing in with a drink carrier and flushed cheeks, as he sets it on the coffee table. 

“Oh, look who’s finally home.” Koutarou preens and doesn’t hesitate in moving over to Kenma, pressing a loud, sloppy kiss on his cheek before grabbing his drink, “Keiji was just saying how it’s your night to cook, Ken Ken, but Ojiisan said he’ll do it.”

“Good, let him cook then.” 

Tetsurou whips his head around, “Hey, stop being a brat.” 

He’s met with an eye roll, Kenma grabbing his own drink and gesturing to the remaining cups in the holder, “You’re welcome for your teas.” He bites out before turning on his heel and marching into the bedroom. 

“I’ll go make dinner.” Nekomata coughs out and Tetsurou can’t help but notice the way his jaw sets as he leaves the three of them alone in the living room. 

“Let me talk to him,” Tetsurou sighs out when he hears the sink begin running, “He’s probably mad at me for badgering him about where he was.” 

“Call me if you need assistance.” Keiji waves him off, he and Koutarou grabbing their teas and moving into the kitchen to see if Nekomata needs help.

Tetsurou makes his way to the bedroom after that, the sound of Kenma’s switch echoing from behind the closed door, and he knocks quietly, “Kenma? I’m coming in.” 

There isn’t an answer, not that Tetsurou was expecting one, and he closes the door behind him before eyeing his boyfriend up and down with a heavy sigh.

“What the hell is going on?”

Kenma looks up for a split second before turning his attention back to his game, “What do you mean?”

“Don’t play dumb, Kenma. Why have you been acting like a brat all weekend?”

He hears Kenma grumble before he pauses his game, the other boy looking up exasperated, “I have  _ not  _ been acting like a brat. I went to get us some tea and you called in a full-blown panic because I ‘took too long'.” Kenma narrows his eyes, “I’m not the one acting like a completely different person to impress someone we haven’t seen in twenty years.”

Tetsurou’s mouth opens but nothing leaves, jaw just shutting as he glares and throws his hands in the air, “Sorry that I wanted to make sure Nekomata-sensei felt welcome, Kenma.”

“It’s more than that and you  _ know  _ it.” Kenma bites out, “You have been a complete nuisance. Acting like you’re this perfect person, trying so hard, and for  _ what _ ?”

“Because I  _ care  _ about him!”

Kenma snorts, “I don’t doubt that you do but there isn’t a need to make yourself look like an ass over it.” 

He squints his eyes at Kenma, “What are you trying to say?”

Kenma stands up at that, walking towards Tetsurou and letting his finger press firmly against his chest, “I’m saying that you, Kuroo Tetsurou, are a pain in the fucking ass and need to loosen up and let everyone  _ enjoy this weekend  _ without having you micromanage every single thing for once in your damn life.”

The room goes silent and Tetsurou swallows thickly, “Is that what you think?”

“It’s what we  _ all  _ think, Tetsu. I didn’t need to ask Keiji or even Kou to fucking know we’re all annoyed. They're not going to say it so I will: he’s only staying with us because of your need to play the hero always.” 

Tetsurou licks his lips, nodding his head as he levels Kenma, “You’re a little brat.”

He doesn’t get a response, instead, he hears the sound of the door slamming behind him as Kenma storms into the living room, and Tetsurou is already moving double-time to catch up to him.

“Kenma! What the hell is your  _ problem _ ?”

“You!  _ You _ are my problem, Tetsurou!” Kenma whips around and is practically snarling at Tetsurou, “You are so obsessed with everyone else’s needs except your own! It’s like we’re in high school all over again, fucking shit.”

“And you’re being a little brat so I guess things really don’t change.”

Kenma’s fists clench by his side, “You’re fucking insufferable!”

“Swearing too? It’s no wonder your mom scolded you for it so much.” Tetsurou bites out and the look on Kenma’s face should have been a warning. It should have been  _ expected _ , the topic of swearing was always sensitive with him and it was, honestly, the issue of a lot of their arguments. Yet Tetsurou didn’t care, not when Kenma’s acting like a little, spoiled prince and swearing so much and—

“At least my mom actually bothered to stick around and get onto me for it, Tetsurou.”

“That’s  _ enough _ .” 

Tetsurou slowly turns to see Keiji standing there with Nekomata-sensei behind him, his arms crossed over his chest and Keiji’s jaw clenched firmly and he feels his stomach fall to his knees. 

“Are you two done with your spat?” Keiji drawls, eyeing Tetsurou up and down before turning to Kenma, “Or do you want to continue to scream at each other?” 

Tetsurou cringes, “How’s Kou?”

“He’s fine. He was actually helping Nekomata-san cook and had been apologizing for both of your behavior.” He shakes his head, “What even happened?”

Tetsurou takes the opportunity to glance over at Kenma, all the fight getting sucked out of him the second Keiji came to scold them both and he can see the guilt seeping off of him. 

“I started it.” Kenma mutters out, “Because I have been so annoyed with Tetsurou’s insistence on making everything perfect and how he’s been badgering me and I snapped at him.” 

Tetsurou shakes his head at that, “Then why didn’t you  _ tell  _ me?”

“Because you don’t  _ listen _ sometimes, Tetsu, and—“

Nekomata raises his hand and Kenma goes silent, sinking in on himself and staring at their decorative rug instead. 

“Well, looks like you both had lots to say. Some more than others,” the glance at Kenma makes Tetsurou wince because honestly, he had forgotten about the jab and was definitely feeling weary and unhappy because of the realization of it, “so we should finish this conversation in private, sound good?”

Keiji nods, “I agree. I should go talk with them right now, in fact.”

Nekomata shakes his head and laughs, “Oh no, Akaashi-kun. I’ve handled this same issue in the past if you remember. Let me deal with these two, son. You help your partner in the kitchen and make sure he doesn’t burn our food.” 

Keiji bows his head and leaves after that, sending one more glare to both him and Kenma, before Tetsurou can hear the sounds of him helping in the kitchen. 

Tetsurou clears his throat after the silence lingers on too long, “Sir, are you—“

Nekomata hand moves to rest firmly on Tetsurou’s shoulder, his other one clapping onto Kenma’s and he focuses his gaze, “Let’s move to your bedroom, shall we? We have much to discuss.” 

* * *

Kenma seriously needs to heed his internal warnings, honestly. He had been expecting something to happen this entire weekend and between the way Tetsurou sulks next to him like he’s a child and his former coach paces in front of the both of them with a scowl, his premonitions were spot on. 

He had been a complete asshole, made Tetsurou feel like a total piece of shit all because his boyfriend was being his caring and welcoming self, and now he’s about to get ripped into by someone he hasn’t held a conversation with in nearly a decade. 

Honestly, he would rather have Keiji right now; as long as that meant he didn’t have to be scolded by the one person who’s about as close as family to Tetsurou as his own father and who had been the kindest person to them. Nekomata had been there when Tetsurou’s mother left and Kenma had practically brought up the topic the two of them  _ promised  _ not to talk about considering how sensitive it was; even Keiji and Koutarou didn’t know all the specific details and they had been together for as long as they’ve been out of high school.

So now, they had to handle that matter on top of everything else; all because Kenma let his irritation and frustration get the better of him and he prodded at a really sensitive issue. 

“This brings back some memories.” Nekomata starts as he stops his pacing, turning his gaze to Tetsurou who’s still sullenly and Kenma who can’t turn away from his clearly distraught partner, “Haven’t we been here before, boys?”

Kenma chews the inside of his cheek before sighing out, “I didn’t mean what I said, about Tetsu’s mom.” 

“I’m sure you didn’t.” Nekomata nods in agreement, “Yet you still did say it, hmm? What have we said before about controlling our emotions, Kenma-kun?”

He swallows and looks at his hands with a blush, eyes drifting over to Tetsurou who is actually sitting up now and looking at Nekomata with a blank stare, and he scrunches his eyes shut.

“I really am sorry, Tetsurou.” 

Tetsurou sniffles from beside Kenma and he slowly turns his head, “I know that… that you didn’t mean anything bad, about my mother or my behavior this weekend, but, Kenma… it really hurt.”

“I know, and it was shitty of me to turn this around and make it about me because I  _ know  _ you were just trying to make this weekend great for everyone,” he pauses to bury his face in his hands and huffs, “and I had to just act like a little brat and ruin things.” 

There’s a gentle hand on his shoulder and Kenma looks up to meet Tetsurou’s gaze, his eyes red from crying but still as kind as ever and it’s enough to make Kenma sniffle, “I went overboard, I know. You don’t have to take all the blame, we’re both equal in this.” 

“I really am sorry, Tetsu.” Kenma apologizes again and swallows when Tetsurou presses his lips to his forehead and smiles gently.

“I know, Kenma. It’s okay.” 

Kenma stays in his embrace a little longer, the soft sounds of the two of them sniffling echoing in the room and it isn’t until Nekomata clears his throat that they pull away with lifted eyebrows.

“I’m really glad you both apologized and reconciled,” Nekomata smiles as he moves towards the bed and sits himself on the opposite side of Tetsurou, “this will make this next part a lot easier.” 

Tetsurou exchanges a glance with him before clearing his throat awkwardly, “Sir, I— I mean surely you can’t be serious about this?”

Nekomata gives him a deadpan stare, “I may be old, Kuroo, but I’m not too old to give the both of you a spanking.”

The admission alone makes Kenma want to bolt and it’s clear that Tetsurou isn’t pleased either with the way he lets out a low whine in the back of his throat.

“Go ahead and remove your slacks and come over,” Nekomata pats his thigh to break the lingering tension before turning to Kenma, “and you sit right there and wait your turn. Am I understood, young man?”

Kenma nods, glancing over to see Tetsurou slowly standing and tugging his pants down to his knees before being guided over Nekomata’s lap and he can’t help but cringe when their eyes meet, stomach dropping to his knees. 

“I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: I do not condone fighting of any kind, boys, and especially not when nasty things are said.” Nekomata brings his hand down sharply after that and Tetsurou grunts, Kenma quickly grabbing his hands in his own, “I thought the both of you knew better than this, instead you’re behaving like a couple of little brats.”

He continues to let his hand fall and despite the fact that he is by no means as strong, or young, as Keiji or even Tetsurou himself, he’s surely making an impact on both of them. Tetsurou squeezes Kenma’s hands tightly and every time he glances up Kenma can see the tears welling in his eyes and he sniffles. 

“You, Tetsurou, are a fine young man.” Nekomata states with a heavy swat towards his thigh and Kenma has to tighten his hold on his hands, “I would have been proud of you no matter the circumstances. Kenma was right, there was no need to go overboard for my sake, not when it makes the people around you feel unwelcome.” 

Tetsurou nods before burying his face into the comforter, “I understand, sir.”

“There’s nothing wrong with wanting things to go well, but we can’t control everything, can we?” Several stinging swats meet his thighs and Kenma can feel Tetsurou pull on his hands in an attempt to reach back and rub away the sting, “So sometimes, we have to let whatever happens, happen, okay?”

“Not only that,” the spanks begin to grow quicker and sharper at the shift in the tone of Nekomata’s voice, “but should we be calling the ones we love mean names? Or be insulting or berating towards them?”

“No sir,” Tetsurou muffles into the comforter and Kenma lets his thumb trace gently on the back of his hand in an attempt to stop his racing thoughts, “I’m sorry.” 

“Of course you are, you’re a good person.” Nekomata agrees, “But it’s not me you should be apologizing to, son.”

Kenma sees his head bob up and is met with tear-filled eyes, Tetsurou’s lip quivering as he tightens his hold on Kenma to the point he’s scared he’ll lose circulation in both of them, “Kenma! I really am s-so sorry! I shouldn’t have called you a brat or any of those names and I shouldn’t have m-made you feel so uncomfortable in your own home! I’m sorry, baby!”

He nods at that, lifting their intertwined hands to place a gentle kiss on the back of Tetsurou’s own, “It’s okay, Tetsu. Like you said, we’re both to blame for this…” 

Nekomata brings his hand down a few more times before pausing, hand rubbing on Tetsurou’s backside before he looks up at Kenma with a focused gaze, “Kenma, son, can you go fetch me your hairbrush?”

“No…” Tetsurou whimpers from where he’s draped over his lap and Kenma has to tug his hands away, despite the whining, to go get it. 

His feet shuffle across the carpet and he rummages through Keiji’s bedside drawer to grab it, the heaviness of their wooden brush that is definitely  _ not  _ used for their hair makes his stomach flip ten times over, and he hands it over to Nekomata as Tetsurou tries to burrow his entire face into the comforter when it taps against his ass. 

“Just fifteen.” Nekomata informs with a gentle rub to Tetsurou’s lower back, “But I’m going to need you to take your underpants down for me.”

Tetsurou sniffles as he pulls himself up and tugs his boxers down, quickly putting himself back over Nekomata’s lap and reaching for Kenma’s hands when the brush smacks against his backside. 

He yelps, hands tugging Kenma’s again and it takes everything in him to keep Tetsurou grounded during this. He knows that he’ll do the same for him when it’s his turn and after everything that the two of them have gone through this weekend, it’s the least he could do.

“I’ve seen too many fights in all my years between loving couples,” Nekomata remarks and lets the brush fall again against the top of Tetsurou’s thigh, “and the last thing I want to see is two of my kids fighting over something as silly as this.”

Tetsurou nods, “I understand, sir…” 

“Good,” the brush falls a few more times before it’s being set aside and Nekomata lets out a low grunt as he guides Tetsurou to a better position where he wraps his arms around him, “no more fights, are we understood?”

Kenma watches as Tetsurou nods into his sweater and he smiles softly, “Understood.” 

Nekomata pats his back before he’s guiding Tetsurou away from him and gesturing towards where Kenma had been sitting this whole time, “Alright, son, it’s your turn.”

Right, he had nearly forgotten that. 

He sidesteps Tetsurou and watches as he cringes when he sits on the bed, and Kenma hangs his head when he gets in front of Nekomata, eyes shifting anxiously at the floor.

“Pants down, Kenma. You were watching your partner to know what to do.” 

The way Nekomata says it makes Kenma wince and he bites his lip as he reaches for the hem of his track pants, tugging them down and letting Nekomata help him over his lap with a low grunt.

“I don’t want to lecture too much,” Nekomata starts and brings his hand to rest against his ass, “you heard enough already and I’m far too old for all of this. So just think about what you did wrong and we can talk about it in a bit, sound good?”

His hand falls after that and  _ shit  _ does it hurt! Despite the claim that he’s ‘too old’, his punishment is practically a carbon copy of the exact one from high school and he doesn’t pose any argument when Tetsurou is reaching for his hands in the same way he had done for him with a gentle smile. 

Nekomata keeps his word, just letting his stinging palm do the talking and Kenma can’t help but wiggle slightly when the swats fall lower and begin to meet the skin that peeks out of his boxers. 

“Ah,” Kenma huffs out and his toes curl, “I’m sorry…”

He can’t see it but he’s certain Nekomata is nodding, especially when there’s a small hum in response and the hand pauses, “For?”

“For— For being a brat all weekend and causing issues,” Kenma starts and sniffles out when he feels Tetsurou gently stroking his palm, “for making everyone upset with my a-attitude, for calling him names when I  _ knew  _ it was wrong and then pretending that it was fine.”

Kenma feels a tear run down his cheek and he shoves his face into the comforter so that Tetsurou can’t see him cry, “And I’m sorry for bringing up your mom, Tetsu. That was… That was so fucking shitty of me and I knew I shouldn’t have said it. I just got so mad and—”

He’s cut off when his head is being guided up, Tetsurou staring at him and shaking his head fervently, “You’re okay, Kenma. I know that… you have some resentment towards her, it’s fine.”

“It’s not… gods, Tetsu, you  _ know  _ it’s not!”

“I don’t need her, Kenma. Not when I have you and Keiji and Kou.” He smiles softly as he continues to caress his face, “I have Nekomata-sensei, too. We all have each other, that’s enough for me. Why should I care about someone who didn’t bother to stay in my life? It doesn’t matter anymore, not that I have another family of people who care about me.”

Kenma doesn’t bother to cover up his sobbing after that, simply letting Tetsurou stroke his hand and his cheek as he’s bent over Nekomata’s lap, and he cranes his head back to look at Nekomata; his eyes glinting and mouth quirked upward in a small smile.

“I’m sorry, Nekomata.” 

The pat on his rear makes him flinch, “It’s exactly what I said before, young man: I know you are, you’re a good person.” Kenma nods and turns back towards Tetsurou, “But we’re not quite done.”

Kenma guides himself up at that with another sniffle and tugs his boxers to meet his sweats before going back over.

“See? You didn’t even need to be told to do it.” Nekomata chuckles as he rests the hair brush against his ass, “I told you, you’re a good person, Kenma.” 

The brush falls sharply amidst the praise and he gasps, toes curling and hands scrambling to reach for Tetsurou’s own as it continues to fall in the same stinging pattern as his hand. 

“Let’s just be more mindful about what we say, sound good?”

Kenma nods and squeaks when the brush continues to fall, Tetsurou gently holding his hands, “Yes.”

The spanking is over as quickly as it started, Nekomata bringing the brush down a few more times before it’s set aside and Kenma’s being lifted and pressed against the soft fabric of a sweater, welcoming arms wrap around him as he lets out another shuddering sob. 

“I care about the both of you,” Nekomata sighs out, “so stop getting into these silly fights of yours, alright? I’m too damn old to do something like this again.”

Tetsurou lets out a low chuckle from where he’s sitting beside Kenma, “We promise, sir.”

“Tetsurou.” Nekomata drawls, gently guiding Kenma away from him and narrowing his gaze at his boyfriend, “Why are you not hugging right now, young man?” 

Kenma watches as Tetsurou flushes before he slides himself closer, Nekomata opening his embrace to wrap around the both of them, “Thank you for having me this weekend.”

Tetsurou nods against Kenma’s shoulder, “Thank you for coming, Nekomata-sensei.”

“I wouldn’t have missed the chance to see my kids for the world.”

And Kenma believes it.

* * *

“Thank you for finishing dinner,” Nekomata states as the three of them enter into the kitchen, Keiji stirring a pot as Koutarou helps set the table, “I didn’t expect our conversation to last as long as it did, I’m sorry.”

Keiji smiles gently despite the way his eyes narrow at Tetsurou and Kenma, “You’re our guest, Nekomata-san, it’s really no issue.”

“Yeah Plus, Keiji is a really good cook too, Ojiisan.” Koutarou chirps from the table and all the heads in the room whip around to face him, “What?”

“Kou…” Keiji sighs out and Tetsurou cackles, arms wrapping around Kenma as he hunches in on himself in laughter, and Nekomata smiles gently before he makes his way over to Koutarou with a kind smile. 

“Keep this one close to you,” Nekomata turns to tell Kenma and Tetsurou, “he’s a good soul.”

The room feels light after that, Koutarou wrapping his arms around Nekomata and hugging him as Tetsurou awkwardly walks over to Keiji to help him finish cooking and Kenma admires it all from where he leans against the entrance to their kitchen.

He had been expecting the worst to happen that he let it affect this entire weekend so much, but it was clear that things were fine; especially when he sees the most important and special people in his life altogether and enjoying each other’s company.

Everything happened for a reason, Kenma was still convinced of it, but it was so obvious that good things always came from it.

Good people, like Keiji who pressed a gentle kiss onto Tetsurou’s cheek and brushed his bangs out of his face, or like Koutarou who made sure that there were enough utensils and bowls for everyone, or Tetsurou who went back to his charming and caring self with the way he helped to finish dinner, or even Nekomata, who had continued to make an impact on his and Tetsurou’s life for two full decades and seemed to have no plan of stopping.

Not that Kenma was complaining.

This was his family, and he was so glad that the universe placed them in his life. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is for my two loves flampy, the other supporter in the bokuakakuroken agenda, and cain, my fellow nekomata enthusiast. i hope you both enjoyed <3 
> 
> i spent a while on this one (not just because it ended up longer than expected) but because i really wanted to focus my attention on kenma's relationship with kuroo's along with kuroo's with nekomata and all three of theirs as whole — it's why i included that flashback that was definitely not originally planned.  
> the relationship that these three have with each other has been invading my dreams for weeks now and i really needed to write something with them!
> 
> i hope you all enjoyed, i really had a nice time writing this and it's something that I've been wanting to write for a while (nekomata supremacy)
> 
> please leave kudos and comments, i would love to hear everyone's feedback<3
> 
> have a wonderful night,  
> bee

**Author's Note:**

> this is the first of many fics involving polyam bokuakakuroken so please stay tuned for more!
> 
> thank you flampy for inspiring me to actually finish this, i have been talking and thinking about them non-stop for months and am absolutely in love with their dynamics and relationship as a whole and that's a lot of the reason that i wrote this fic.  
> it's something very different than i have written before, power dynamics and domestic discipline is something that should be discussed in detail with partners and it should only be done by consenting and willing adults — this is a work of fiction but please follow proper etiquette. 
> 
> once again, i was very apprehensive about posting this but i have a lot of feelings about this ship and wanted to push the agenda so here we are.
> 
> i would love to share my headcanons about them if anyone is interested so just let me know! 
> 
> as always, leave kudos and comments and support <3 it would mean a lot to me
> 
> \- bee (mase)


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